Court suspends Schaumburg attorney for fraud

The Illinois Supreme Court has suspended a Schaumburg attorney who stands accused by regulators of taking money from numerous clients, including his own family members.

The court issued a ruling last week to suspend Lino John Menconi immediately from practicing law until the court makes a final decision about his license.

The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has filed two complaints against Menconi, accusing him of forging signatures and improperly using hundreds of thousands of dollars in clients' money to pay for personal expenses including credit card bills, children's activities and entertainment.

Menconi and his attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.

In September, the ARDC hearing board found "overwhelming proof" that Menconi took more than $460,000 from four clients. The hearing board recommended that the court suspend him for three years, while ARDC Administrator Jerome Larkin instead recommended that Menconi be disbarred.

The regulatory agency also has another case against Menconi, charging that he misappropriated more than $180,000 from three clients. The attorney is awaiting a hearing in that case.

In the first case, the alleged victims included an 86-year-old man, a 5-year-old girl who had been injured by the door of a laundromat machine in Chicago and Menconi's elderly aunt and uncle.

In his defense, Menconi admitted to regulators that he had made mistakes but said he paid restitution to his victims and cooperated with regulators. He asked to keep his license but said he would accept whatever penalty the board ruled appropriate.